Episode 35

Before long, the blackness that had dominated the sky gradually cleared away. Like water mixing with black paint, the sky slowly diluted, with a red hue seeping in little by little.

It was the crack of dawn.

Dawn was always sacred. Allen scattered all of the impure thoughts accumulated over the night with the touch of dawn.

After looking up at the dawn sky and taking a deep breath, Allen turned his head to look at the members huddled together.

“You all worked hard at having fun. Didn’t forget anything, did you?”

As he asked, Bulky Frank fumbled with his groin to check if both his testicles were there.

“Yup, I got both my balls here.”

The others nodded, indicating that they hadn’t forgotten anything either. Allen then made a slight nod and took the lead; it was time to head out.

The streets of Kalstadt, the fortress of iron, were already buzzing at dawn. Merchant carriages could be seen moving alongside their porters, and the inns were constantly emitting smoke from cooking rice.

Captain Aiden gnawed on tough jerky, occasionally turning his head to check if the other members were following as well.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the north gate, only to meet a considerable crowd already gathered there.

Allen, who had contracted with the merchant group the day before, approached a man puffing on tobacco while sitting at the back of a carriage.

“Allen-Mercenary Group.”

“Ah, you’ve come. Get on there.”

The Allen-Mercenary Group walked steadily to the carriage pointed out by the man with sun-tanned skin and climbed on top. The carriage wasn’t very large, so when all nine of them got on, it was packed tight.

Before long, the caravan set off. The iron fortress, reflecting the rising sunlight, was magnificently imposing. Its grandeur was indeed worthy of the empire’s greatest fortress.

“Did you say we’re going to Vermandois?”

The muscular woman sitting opposite Allen asked whilst chewing on something.

“Yes, Vermandois.”

The city of mercenaries, and also the city without a master, Vermandois.

“They say it’s damn brutal there…”

As Captain Aiden, who had yet to visit Vermandois, muttered, Bulky Frank chuckled and added his comment.

“Not brutal per se. Just the kind of place where you’d get your nose cut off if you close your eyes?”

It was indeed a place not governed by nobles, so the law-abiding spirit of Vermandois was much lower than it was everywhere else. Even in Guild Master, there had been no penalties for any actions taken here. As long as one had the strength to fend off the mercenaries coming for revenge, everything was permitted. …Of course, if by doing so, one were to offend the temper of the top 10, that would be a disaster.

The experienced Old Dog Kalisman summarized things neatly.

“You don’t have to worry too much. It’s rare for someone to openly stab and kill. If you keep to yourself, it’s not much different from other cities. It’s just that there are a lot of mercenary bastards. …Strictly speaking, there is something similar to law. Rules that are accepted among mercenaries.”

“So, you mean they just openly stab and kill?”

“…Well, there are just too many idiots among the mercenaries.”

There, the conversation abruptly ended. The members, tired from vigorously partying it up until last night, yawned contagiously as if their mouths would tear.

Inside the carriage, night had fallen again.

The mercenary city, Vermandois.

Unlike other cities, this place, without a single wall, boasted a scale as immense as that of a big city. Across the giant river that cut through the center of the city, many leisurely enjoyed boating.

For those with power, this place was practically no different from heaven. Hence, the so-called big shots from the continent flocked here. It was only natural they preferred to live indulgingly like nobles rather than prostrating before them.

‘…We’ve arrived. Finally…!’

A city indispensable in the mercenary business. Already worn and torn mercenaries dominated the scene, making it hard to discover promising new blood, yet it was still a place overflowing with proven talents. Moreover, it was a place where even the top 10 would occasionally appear. It was also great for reputation building, so Ji-hoo, while playing Guild Master, had established a base here, spending a few months here each year. If he were lucky enough to get a cooperative mission, it would be possible to build a significant reputation and earn a hefty fee.

As for other ventures, he was not ready to consider them yet…

Since there was no separate tax here, it was also good for doing other businesses. Of course, most businesses were already saturated, but… there was always a gap somewhere. …However, that presupposed that there was solid capital and a powerful enough mercenary group to back such a business. Naturally, for the current Allen-Mercenary Group, it was still an unimaginable tale.

Anyway, having safely arrived in Vermandois, the Allen-Mercenary Group was immediately greeted by a swarm of beggars as soon as they got off the carriage. Most of them were kids with barely dried blood on their heads.

“Please, just a penny.”

“Please, anything to eat.”

Then, Old Dog Karisman, as if he had expected this all along, menacingly threatened them with a sharp ax.

“Will you not scram?”

Deciding that the group was a class not to be messed with, they quickly scattered elsewhere. Kalisman then immediately explained why he had threatened them so fiercely.

“These brats have bad habits…. It’s better not to get close to them, Group Leader.”

Allen nodded as if he already knew. When the mercenary group’s combat power was below a certain level, visiting the mercenary city sometimes triggered an event where they got robbed by beggar brats. Although it was a trivial amount of money, being robbed felt extremely unpleasant.

Now that the escort mission was over, Allen went to the merchant group leader to receive his payment. The old merchant group leader asked him to come back if he was out of work next time. It seemed they were to his liking, being that they were cheaper and more competent than other mercenary groups.

The mercenary group, having finished their work, emerged from the carriage stop and entered the city. Then, prostitutes with thick, gaudy makeup clung to the men’s arms. The strong scent of cheap perfume aggressively assaulted the nose.

Pretty gigolos also approached the female members, acting coyly. Of course, the milk-jug mage firmly waved them off, indicating they should not come closer.

Bulky Frank blatantly fondled the breasts of the two prostitutes under his arms, laughing lewdly with an “Ehehe.”

“Boss, can I go get some water?”

“If you don’t want your pay, go ahead. If you’re late, there’ll be none left.”

“Ah, alright… You two go run-off ahead. I’ll come find you later.”

The mercenary group entered a nearby bar. The hall was already noisy and chaotic, even in the middle of the day. The milk-jug mage slightly covered her nose with a finger due to the terrible stench.

They grabbed two tables in a corner and sat around them. Allen then paid the mercenaries who were on a short-term contract their wages on the spot. As the gold coins fell into their hands, the corners of the mercenaries’ mouths, who loved money, reached their ears.

“Now, with this, the mission is over. Those who wish to leave first may do so, and those who wish to drink may do so. Everyone, please do as you like.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Allen and Kalisman got up from their seats, Frank asked if the group leader wasn’t going to drink.

“I have things to do. You’ve all worked hard. I hope for more good things to come.”

The mercenaries on a short-term contract seemed a bit regretful to part ways without an after-party, but they couldn’t hold him back.

Allen and Kalisman left the building together. The group leader stood in the street, straightening his back, and instructed Kalisman, who followed as an escort, to guide him to the guild house.

There was certainly a lot to see in the mercenary city. Especially thanks to the street vendors lined up along the river, he never got bored even after the long walk.

After a walk that allowed him to take in the sights, the large building he had seen from afar ended up right in front of him.

The crowd around it was truly enormous. It was like watching ants go in and out of an anthill. Naturally, with such a crowd, prostitutes and gigolos were eagerly soliciting, their eyes alight. Of course, several of them clung annoyingly to Allen and Kalisman before peeling away.

The two entered the guild house. There were many prostitutes and gigolos there too. Some were having sex in corners. There were even those blatantly performing oral sex.

Fistfights were also a common sight. More people gathered to watch the fights than the sex acts. A good number of them would gamble and bet drinks on these brawls.

Ironically, all of this was a common sight here. Allen couldn’t help but snicker.

‘…Yea, this is fitting for a mercenary city.’

“Where exactly are you looking for?”

“The Viola-Mercenary Group.”

—!

There was no way Kalisman, who had been in this field for a long time, didn’t know that name.

Although considered lower in rank, the top 10 was still the top 10. The status of the Viola-Mercenary Group was not something that mediocre nobodies could handle.

“Are you… sure it will be okay?”

“What is?”

“Well, considering the opponent is a bit….”

“It’s fine. It’s more of a favor. They said they would welcome us.”

Only then did Kalisman seem a bit relieved.

The Viola-Mercenary Group occupied the largest room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. Naturally, there were hardly any people there. Even the damned mercenaries wouldn’t dare go there without a good reason.

Allen, who had been perfectly fine until just a moment ago, started to feel a bit nervous here. No matter how much he had soared and excelled in Guild Master, honestly, at the moment, he was nothing but a lowly group leader with nothing to show.

‘…I’m not going to do anything bad. I just need to deliver a letter, just a letter. How can I be nervous about just coming to take a look—!’

With that, Allen gathered his courage once again.

As the two men opened the door and entered, a very clean and well-organized office welcomed them. …Honestly, it was so tidy that it was hard to believe it was the office of a mercenary group.

“What brings you here?”

The female employee seated at the counter in front stood up and asked them. Allen walked confidently towards her and presented the envelope he had in his possession.

“I have something to deliver to Lady Viola.”

“I will deliver it right away.”

Allen smoothly handed the envelope to the female employee. As she went inside, he briefly turned his head to look at Kalisman standing behind him and nodded lightly as if to say there would be no problem.

After a while, the female employee who had gone inside with the envelope came out.

“The group leader asks to see you for a moment.”

‘Right—.’

As expected, it must have been that Group Leader Kalim had written something favorable. Fortunately, it seemed like he would succeed in making a good impression.

He followed the female employee with suppressed excitement.

Viola, who had been attending to her duties, received a letter and skimmed through its contents, then nodded lightly.

Setting aside the pleasantries from Group Leadsd Kalim, the main point was that he had sent someone over. It was meant for her to observe and judge.

‘…That old geezer, really. He should be preparing for retirement by now, but it seems he’s still active in the field.’

Having served under him as a member, she chuckled and folded the letter.

Soon, there was news that the person who brought the letter had arrived.

“Come in.”

Viola straightened her posture as if to display the dignity of one of the top 10.

The door opened, and a person entered. Surprisingly, he was a handsome young man.

However, her gaze did not linger on his face for long and moved above his head.

…And then,

“My name is Allen Dewise Pomwell.”

Her astonished thoughts came to a screeching halt.

“I am currently the leader of the Allen-Mercenary Group.”

The young man’s number was,

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

522.

…It was a figure that far exceeded her expectations.